Safe With Us
by Demonic Irken
Summary: Eddie keeps having dreams of Riot and Drake. Venom helps him out.
1. Chapter 1

Eddie woke up with a gasp, breathing hard and drenched in sweat, his bed smelling rank with the scent of it. He jumped out of bed and looked around himself frantically, his mind on overdrive, the image of Riot gutting him still fresh in his mind. He grabbed his gun from his nightstand, aiming it into the darkness of the room.

He was breathing rapidly, nearly to the point of hyperventilating. He could not see through the dark, and his mind played tricks on him as he thought he heard noises in the room. He started to shiver, seized by a sudden cold, wrapped up in its embrace. He looked to his right and saw the source of the sudden drop in temperature. A window had been left open, allowing the air from outside into his bedroom.

Eddie sighed and put away his weapon, but leaving the safety off just in case. "Did you open the window?"

" ** _Yes_** ," Venom said from within his mind, his voice reassuring to the human. **_"You were hot."_**

"Thank you for that." Eddie said, running a hand through his hair to fix it up a little. "I guess I forgot to turn the fan on."

" _ **You are welcome, Eddie.**_ " The symbiote was quiet for a moment before he said, " ** _you were having that dream again. I saw it."_**

"Yeah, the same one I've been having every night for the last week or so." Eddie sighed nd sat on his bed. "I can't seem to get past it, and I really hate not being able to sleep anymore without dreaming about dying."

A tendril appeared from his body and began to rub his back in a reassuring gesture. " ** _There is nothing to be afraid of anymore. He is dead now."_**

"I know that. Believe me, I know that there was no way that Riot could have survived that explosion, but sometimes I wonder about it. What would happen if he had survived."

' ** _If Riot had survived, he would have most likely found us again by now. It has been three months since it happened, and you seem to be getting worse. I don't know what I can do for you, and your body is not damaged anymore, so there is nothing for me to fix."_**

Eddie felt breath on his face, and he looked up to see Venom was eye-level with him, gazing at him thoughtfully. "How did you feel, when he killed me? All I felt was pain, and then nothing. He got me pretty good."

" ** _We were angry. Worried that we would not be able to heal you, but we did. Relieved when you came back to us. No one hurts my Eddie."_** Venom nuzzled his face and lay his head on Eddie's shoulder.

"I know, bud, I know. No one hurts you, either." Eddie said softly, petting Venom's head like he would with a cat. Venom licked his face, making him giggle lightly and gently push him away. "Stop," he said playfully, humor in his voice. "That tickles."

" ** _Happy now?"_** The symbiote asked, smiling and showing his teeth. " ** _Hungry? Want chocolate."_**

Eddie laughed and got up off of his bed. "Yeah, I bet you are, you're ALWAYS hungry." He went into the kitchen and got out two candy bars, offering one to Venom, who quickly ate it almost immediately while Eddie ate his more slowly.

Apparently too slow for Venom, who tried to snatch it out of his hand with one of his tendrils, but Eddie caught him in time, gently smacking it away. "Back off, this one is mine!" He said, laughing again.

The dream was all but forgotten now, the images fading rapidly from his mind. Venom was right, there was nothing to be afraid of now. That chapter of his life had come to a close, and a new one had begun. He stood there, thinking about his past and now his future, wondering what it would be like to have Venom in his body for the rest of his life.

" _ **Eddie**_?" The symbiote in question broke through his thoughts. " ** _Okay, Eddie?"_**

The young reporter returned to Earth to feel Venom prodding his insides curiously, slightly worried for his human friend. He rubbed at his eyes and cleared his throat. "Yeah, bud. Yeah, I'm okay." He said, closing the fridge and moving over to the couch in his living room to sit down for a few minutes. "I'm just thinking about something, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

 ** _"You were thinking of your future. What will happen after this?_** " Venom confirmed softly. He shifted under Eddie's skin, twisting and turning as he patrolled his body for any issues that he could fix, making sure that nothing was hurting his friend and host. " ** _You wondered if we would ever leave you?"_**

Eddie sighed. It was never very easy to keep things from the symbiote for very long, if he was even able to. He was in his head, after all. "It's not like that at all, buddy. I was just thinking if-"

" ** _Do you not want us with you anymore?_** " Venom asked, and Eddie was surprised to hear that his voice sounded somewhat saddened by this false revelation. Venom curled tightly around his heart, circling it. " ** _Have we not proven ourselves to you, Eddie? Are you still frightened of us?"_**

"No, Vee, I'm not scared of you, actually quite comfortable with you now, but I'm just wondering if you'll still be here when I'm older. If I ever have kids, stuff like that."

Venom manifested out of his side, just a disembodied head. His tendrils snaked up the side of Eddie's shirt, stopping to caress his face gently and lovingly. **_"As long as you live, I will always be with you. Keeping you safe. Protecting you. You will never be alone. Never lonely."_** He licked his human, his tongue soft, gently running over his flesh. This was soothing to Eddie, calming his fears and worries.

"Okay," He said softly, petting venom's head, the symbiote purring softly within him, vibrating his bones. "Okay. I believe you."

He walked out to the balcony of his apartment room, staring u at the stars twinkling above him in the night sky. They truly were a sight to behold. He listened to the sounds of the city, of honking horns and bustling people, hurrying to reach their next destination. The wind blew, shaking the trees and bushes, and Eddie shivered at the sudden cold.

He felt a heavy substance began coating his legs and torso, and looked down at venom covering his lower half, keeping him warm. " ** _Better, Eddie?_** " He whispered in his mind. **_"Warm now?"_**

Eddie nodded. "Yes. Much better" he patted the covering. "Thanks."

" ** _Will always take care of my Eddie,"_** The symbiote said, with more affection than usual. **_"Never let you feel anything but happy. Safe with me."_**

Eddie looked below him at the never sleeping city, and smiled. "Come on, let's go get us that chocolate."


	2. Chapter 2

As Eddie exited his apartment building and began making the journey toward Mrs. Chen's place to buy some chocolate for himself and Venom, he couldn't stop thinking about what the symbiote had said to him a few minutes earlier. While it was true that he would never be alone as long as he had Venom for company, it didn't mean that he wouldn't be lonely. He had learned through experience that even the person with the most friends can secretly be one of the loneliest people on the planet.

While Venom certainly helped with that, he couldn't fix the issue completely. That was something that Eddie had to do.

 **"Eddie."** Venom spoke from within his mind. **"I can still feel you. You are still sad. What is troubling you?"**

"It's nothing really important, Vee." The reporter answered dismissively. "I've just got a lot of things on my mind at the moment."

He felt Venom prodding at his brain, shifting and examining his memories, looking for the source of his host's discomfort. **"Ah, yes, I see. You are still feeling lonely. How may I help to make you not feel this way?"**

They arrived at Mrs. Chen's at that moment, the walk not far from Eddie's own apartment. "It's not that simple, Vee." Eddie responded as he entered the shop. "Humans need to be near other humans, It's in their DNA, the desire for company and companionship. Its something that is unavoidable, and once you hit a certain age, that feeling intensifies. We experience the desire and longing for someone to love."

Venom was quiet for a minute, apparently mulling over Eddie's words. He did not speak again until Eddie was in the middle of picking out what kind of ice cream he wanted. **"That seems like a very complicated and tedious process. I don't think I would want to do something like that. Do all humans do this?"**

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, most do. Some don't feel any attraction at all towards the same gender, or even the same species. It's difficult to explain, actually."

 **"Oh, I see."** Venom went back to shifting through Eddie's thoughts and emotions, seemingly content with his answer.

Eddie found what he was looking for, chocolate ice cream with double chocolate chips mixed into it, and grabbed it, going to the counter to pay for it, also grabbing a few king-sized chocolate bars at the last minute. He felt Venom's pleased purr when he did so.

After conversing with Mrs. Chen for a few minutes after paying, they left the store and began to make their way back home. **"Eddie."** Venom said while his thick black tendrils made their way up the human's front under his shirt, stopping at his chest. **"We are okay. We are perfect, we are whole. Together now, as one. Need nothing else, have each other."**

The tendrils continued their crawl up Eddie's chest and around his body, shielding him and keeping him warm, protecting him from the chill of the night. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the night air and basking in the comfort of the dark. Smells lingered in the air, blooming flowers, food from nearby restaurants and cafés, coffee and pastries, enticing him.

"I know that, Vee, but sometimes… it's difficult to settle for that. I don't feel…. content."

 **"What will you have us do, Eddie? We do not like these emotions you are having. They do not make us feel like ourselves. We feel different."**

Eddie sighed. "Sadness and other emotions, like guilt for example, make people feel differently and do things that they normally wouldn't do. I guess it depends on the level of emotion that the person is experiencing in that moment."

 **"You are not feeling guilt now. You are sad. That is not the same."** Venom says as if Eddie wasn't aware of that fact previously.

Eddie nods. "Yeah, you're right, it isn't. But sometimes its easy to confuse the two, because guilt can feel a lot like sadness, or the person might be feeling both emotions at the same time."

 **"I see."** Was all that Venom said before he fell silent again. Then, a tendril appeared and cupped Eddie's face while Venom's face materialized so that he was eye-level with his host. **"Eddie. You are so much more than this. No one can ever hurt you while you are with me, and I would lay down my life for you. Together, we are whole. Together, we are one. Nothing will ever change that."**

The human looked at the ground, averting his gaze fro the symbiote. "I would die for you, too, bud. You know that. You're my best friend, and you've definitely been a better friend to me than all of the other ones I've had in the past, and I appreciate that, I really do, and-"

 **"You are perfect,"** Venom cut him off softly, **"we are perfect. I am everything you need and more. I could give you the world, all you need to do is ask for it, and it is yours. Whatever you need, whatever you want, is yours. Just name it."**

"I…I want Anne back." Eddie whispered. "I want to be happy again. I want to feel like I matter, like I have a purpose again."

Another tendril stroked his hair, wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. **"I once heard that the purpose of life is just that. Just to be alive. There is no other way to describe it, no other deeper meaning. Just live. That is your purpose. Just be you."**

"No, that can't be all there is." Eddie said, reaching out to grab hold of the tendril, as it gently curled around his hand. "There has to be more than that."

 **"We help people. SAVE the good ones, eat bad ones. That's our purpose here. That's what we do."**

Eddie breathed in deeply, feeling comforted and reassured by the Symbiote. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, bud. That is our purpose."

 **"You can be alone, and still be happy, Eddie. You will manage. I will help you be happy. We are one. You want companionship, and I can give that to you. I will give it to you. You'll be alright, you will see that soon."** He retreated into Eddie's body, one final sentence echoing in the human's ears.

 **"We Are Venom, and we are perfect."**


	3. Chapter 3

Eddie sat on the couch in his apartment a few days later watching television. Venom was with him, of course, an ever present companion and friend. The symbiote was resting his head against his host's shoulder, not unlike like how a child would sometimes cuddle with their mother.

A few tendrils loosely snaked around Eddie's midsection to provide him with safety and comfort, keeping him close and secure, wrapped in Venom's protective hold. His breath was warm on Eddie's throat.

He hadn't heard Eddie laugh in days, not even seen him hardly smile as of late. It filled Venom with worry for his friend. He felt how much he was still hurting from when Anne broke it off with him, and the things she had said to him. It had hurt worse than when Riot had stabbed him through with his axe.

Actually, that had hurt much worse from a physical sense, but emotionally, Anne won by a landslide.

 **'Eddie. You must stop feeling like this. It has been too long.'** Venom nuzzled his host's shoulder. **'You should know by now that I hate seeing you so unmotivated. This I cannot fix, cannot heal. That is all on you. You need to let it go,'**

The human sighed and adjusted his position on the couch and settled back down, his eyes never leaving the television screen. "I can't. I know its been a few months since it happened, but whenever I visit her and I see her with Dan, I just get…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.

 **'We know. You get sad.'** Venom finished for him, his voice sympathetic and quiet. **'You become reclusive. Thinking if you are not good enough for her, then you are not good enough for anyone else, either.'** He lifted a tendril to direct Eddie's gaze away from the TV and onto him. **'But you need to know something, Eddie. You were good enough for me.'**

Eddie nodded as Venom continued speaking. **'You are a perfect match, and I chose you as my host for a reason. That reason has changed into something else now, but my point still stands. You are mine, and that will NOT change. You will always be mine.'**

"I just don't feel like I belong here anymore." Eddie admitted as he tried to stop the tears that wanted to spill from his eyes. A stray tear got past his defenses, and Venom wiped it away as it fell.

 **'We know how you feel, but we can only do so much to help, and the only way you will feel better is if you allow yourself to. You are not letting yourself be happy, only reflecting on bad things, and that is very unhealthy.'**

Eddie picked up the phone. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

 **'We know we're right. There is no 'maybe' about it.'**

The reporter shook his head and turned off the TV, getting his coat on to go for a walk when his phone rang. He answered it. "Hello?"

"It's Anne." The caller said, and Eddie felt that familiar pang of longing in his gut when he heard her voice.

"Anne. Hi, how have you been?" Eddie answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Doing fine, Eddie." Anne said dismissively. "Dan and I were wondering if you would like to come over for dinner tonight? We're having steak and potatoes, and Dan made a cake for dessert."

Eddie pauses for a moment before answering, considering his options. He didn't really want to go if it meant another day of lounging around in his apartment doing nothing important and feeling sorry for himself.

 **'Say yes.'** Venom whispered in his mind. **'It will be good for you, and the air will help you feel better.'**

"Fine." Eddie answered into the phone. "I'll be there in a few hours. Say, maybe around 7 or so?"

"Great!" Anne said, sounding relieved that she hadn't had to push him any harder. "See you then!"

"Anne, I-" he started to say, wanting her to know how he felt, but Venom silenced him by starting to slide one of his tendrils across his side, his back, his stomach, and repeated the action. It was warm and soft, gentle and almost loving.

 **'She doesn't need to know just yet. Now is not the time for that.'**

"You what, Eddie?" Anne was saying, her voice questioning and patient.

Eddie cleared his throat as Venom's tendril wrapped around his free hand, gently squeezing it in a calming gesture.

"I…" He paused. "I'm looking forward to seeing you again."

"Yeah, me too." Anne said, and Eddie could hear the smile in her voice. "It's been a few weeks, hasn't it? It'll be nice to get together and catch up. I'm curious to know what you've been up to."

"Alright, see you soon." Eddie hung up. Sighing, he threw his phone on the couch and sat down again.

 **'We should start getting ready. We don't have much time until we have to be there.'** Venom suggested.

"Right. You're right, Vee, we probably should." Eddie said as he got off the couch and stood up. Venmo's tendrils retreated into his body, leaving him feeling empty and slightly more alone than before.

 **'We told you, not alone. Never alone. That is true.'** Venom said softly. **'It will always be true.'**

Eddie breathed in deeply, Venom massaging his diaphragm again, regulating his breathing. He felt calmer now, more relaxed. Safe. He knew he was safe with Venom, would always be safe.

 **'I hope they have things there that are not dead. I hate eating dead things. You know this.'** Venom muttered. **'If we have to eat one more dead thing I will bite that doctor Dan's face off.'**

"I'm sure that they will, buddy." Eddie said, smiling a little, but it didn't reach his eyes. "They know you pretty well by now, and I've told them about your eating habits and love of live meat."

 **'I do like live meat. Especially if it's squirming.'** Venom said, only half teasing.

A few hours later, they were dressed and ready to go. Once they got to Anne's house, Eddie took a deep breath and made his way onto the front porch. As he knocked, Venom spoke up.

 **'One more thing, Eddie.'**

"Yeah, what's that, bud?" Eddie questioned.

Venom was silent for a few moments before he replied, **'Try to be happy. Smile more, it might help you. Laugh, even if it's not humorous. Just do it for me.'**

Edde nodded. "Okay. I'll try."

The front door was opened, and they both stepped into the house. Together, as one.


	4. Chapter 4

Eddie walked into his old apartment, (which now belonged to Anne, he reminded himself) and took his shoes off at the door, setting them in the closet next to him. He exchanged greetings with Annie and Dan, feeling a bit guilty when he locked eyes with his former girlfriend and fiancée.

 **'Remember to smile.'** Venom said softy in his mind. Eddie nodded and forced a grin, trying to be as convincing as possible for his friends.

 **'That is good.'** The symbiote approved. **'Keep pretending to be happy, and eventually you will BECOME happy. I heard that once on the TV, and sometimes it helps other humans. Hopefully, it helps you, as well.'**

Eddie sighed, relieved to have someone who cared about him, even if it was an alien from outer space. "Thank you for your help."

He felt Venom's emotions, concern and relief. **'Anything we can do to help, we will. As long as we are yours, you will be okay.'**

The young reporter smiled softly at that, and feeling a bit better about himself now, returned to conversing with Dan and Annie. "So, what are we eating on this fine evening?" He joked.

Anne grinned at him. "Tonight, we're having chicken and turkey with mashed potatoes and ham!"

Eddie faked another smile and nodded again, sitting down at the table to wait for his food. He didn't really feel very hungry, but as long as it would make Venom happy, he would grin and bear it.

When the food eventually came to him, Eddie picked at it sullenly, his thoughts consumed with the memories of Anne kissing him, loving him. He gripped his fork tight in his hand. He wanted her back so badly, but Venom thought of it as a lost cause, and wanted him to let it go. For his own benefit, the symbiote had said. Because he wanted Eddie to be happy, truly happy again.

Venom had explained to him that he missed Eddie's smiles, he missed the sound of his laugh, and the banter they would throw at each other before in past conversations. Now, the human didn't so much as make a sound when the symbiote cracked a joke or a one-liner. It was all just stares and blank expressions from his Other.

So, eventually, Venom had just stopped the humor all together and maintained his focus on helping his friend move on from his emotional trauma. Some days it was difficult enough to even get him to eat, let alone do anything else.

Today was one of those days.

 **"Come on, Eddie, you need to eat something."** Venom muttered as the fork hovered at the human's lips. **"Everyone is gonna notice something is wrong, and we don't want that. This is a private matter."**

Still he said not a word. No movement, just staring into space, at nothing. Venom sighed. **"If you don't eat, I will make you eat. I don't want to force you, but please just eat a little bit of _something_."**

After a moment of silence, Venom made good on his promise and took control. **"Just remember that I warned you."** Venom opened Eddie's mouth and made him take a bite of mashed potatoes. Eddie didn't even try to fight this, which only worried Venom even more.

Well, at least he was eating. That was a start. Now he just had to help him with sleeping, because that was another problem that was in dire need of being addressed at some point soon. The nights spent tossing and turning in his bed was beginning to affect Venom's own rest, and that was certainly a problem. Aliens and symbiotes needed sleep, too.

He also had spent some time exploring Eddie's thoughts and emotions and memories. On the inside, he was numb. Devoid of expression and emotion. He had become a total wreck emotionally for the past few weeks now, and Venom was even beginning to fear for his host's life, it had gotten so bad. He had only been steadily spiraling down, deeper into this depressive state of mind.

 **"Eddie… do you wish to die?"** Venom asked softly in his head, fearing the answer, already expecting the response that he would receive from his human. He relinquished his control, waiting for his friend to give him a sign, to let him know that he had been heard.

Eddie remained still and silent for a moment, contemplating the question. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly and whispered a quiet "Yes," and then went back to eating his dinner, his expression dead and hollow, looking like a zombie who had been newly Turned by the virus ravaging the body.

A tendril emerged from his body to rub his chest and wrap around his waist, Venom sighing in his mind. **"I am starting to think that there is nothing that I can do to ease this pain you feel. It is only getting progressively worse now."** He was silent for a beat as he chose his next words carefully. **"I think… maybe it would be best if you were to tell Annie about this. She and her doctor friend might be able to help you better than I can."**

"Okay," Eddie murmured, picking at his food again. "If you think it would be best."

 **"I am serious about this, Eddie,"** Venom insisted, **"I have never seen any of my previous hosts behave in this manner, and you are making me feel like you have just given up on your life and are not really _living_ anymore."** The tendril, warm and gentle on Eddie's skin, caressed his abdomen gently in a circular motion in the hopes that it would at least provide some form of comfort and reassurance for his close friend and favorite host.

 **"You are clearly suffering, and I do not like these thoughts you are having."** Venom said, his tone distressed and worried. **"They are dark and make me sad for you. I can understand that you are in a difficult state of mind right now, but I care for you very dearly, and I am here for you to make things better for you, and make them safe. To make YOU safe. That is the deal now, remember? You can't back out of it now, you must see it through."**

More of Eddie's thoughts appeared to him: _the human slitting his wrists with a sharp knife, the blade glinting in the light, thick red blood dripping from the metal, the wound deep and scarring. Gasping with pain, body trembling with agony as the blade sliced into the flesh._

 **"Stop,"** Venom found himself pleading, his voice small and weak as the thoughts grew darker. **"Please stop thinking this way. This is not healthy…"**

But they did not stop. They persisted. Venom knew that Eddie was trying to hide these thoughts from his symbiote because he was afraid and ashamed of them, but Venom saw all of it. There would never be any secrets between them. They both knew the other's thoughts and emotions.

Eddie moved to direct his gaze to the top of the refrigerator, where the knives sat innocently, shining as the light reflected from their blades. Venom quickly jerked his head away as soon as he discovered his motives, making the human focus his gaze on something else, something that wasn't that. Something hopeful and uplifting. The Sun was setting outside, a beautiful mix of colors streaming through the windows.

 **"See the sun, Eddie?"** Venom asked, hoping to distract him from his corrruptive mental images that he was experiencing. **"It is beautiful, isn't it? We have never had your sunsets and sunrises on Klyntar. That is one of the many things that we like about this Earth. Its beauty. It really is quite inspiring, we think."**

He peeked into Eddie's mind while he conversed with him, seeing, with relief, that the thoughts he had had previously were now absent for the moment. He felt a surge of hope fill him now. Maybe there was a chance that he could keep him alive and happy.

 _Please don't ever leave us, Eddie,_ Venom thought sullenly, wrapping his tendrils tighter around Eddie's body to hold him in a protective embrace. _We won't live without you. You make us so happy._

 _Please fight this._


	5. Chapter 5

"Vee, I can't stop feeling like this. Every day the ache gets worse, and sometimes my body wants me to just break down and cry." Eddie sighed, his pain almost too much for him to handle. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel better."

"We love our Eddie," Venom responded while his tendrils gently brushed his host's face and chest. "Eddie will be okay. We will provide for you. We will help you be happy."

Eddie lay down on his bed and stared at the wall, Venom's tendrils crawling up and down his chest and torso.

The symbiote felt his friend's pain, it was intense, and was only getting stronger with each passing second. "We worry about you, Eddie."

The human nodded sadly, his eyes glossed over. He felt tired now. "I know."

Venom's head appeared and rested on his shoulder. "Ice cream? Go get ice cream? Or hot chocolate?" He suggested helpfully, trying to cheer him up. It made him sad when Eddie was sad, and that didn't do them any good at all.

His human was silent for what Venom thought was hours, but in reality we only a few moments. Finally, Eddie moved to get up from the bed, with Venom extending a tendril to help him keep his balance so he wouldn't fall while getting to his feet.

"Vee? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Eddie?" Venom asked, turning to look him in the eyes.

"When do you think I'll be better?"

Venom thought over the question. If he was being honest, he had no idea. His friend seemed to be willing enough to just let his emotions consume and devour him whole, and let them take him prisoner in their unrelenting hold.

He was worried for his host, certainly, and he wanted to help him feel better, but it was difficult when Eddie had just appeared to have given up on ever finding someone to be truly happy with.

Eddie had told him before that he wanted someone to cuddle with and to hold at night while he slept, someone that loved him unconditionally, as much as he loved the other. He wanted someone to make him feel whole again. Truly happy.

And the symbiotic could not relate to his feelings and desires for human love, but he could understand how Eddie was currently feeling, and he also knew what had caused him to be this way. He emphasized with him.

"We know it is hard now, and you might not believe this now, but it will get better. We will make sure of that. You need no one else but us to be happy. We are you, and you are us."

He focused on Eddie's pain, his heartache and intense longing for someone to love him. And what Venom found was enough to make even him feel depressed.

The loss of Anne had crushed him, and there was still mental and emotional damage that might never heal. Eddie knew that it was his own fault she had left him, and he had since acknowledged that he was in fact to blame for it, but it didn't make it any less painful.

The weight of his guilt and sadness felt like a ton of bricks in his chest, and in his heart. Eddie didn't think he would ever find anyone at this time, and often now he would lie awake in his bed at night, wishing for something to cuddle with and to comfort him and ease his pain.

Venom mentally sighed. He would be more than willing to fulfill Eddie's desires to cuddle with something living, but beyond that, there was little he could do to help besides whisper encouragement and comforting words to him.

He was an attractive host, and Venom was certain that if he only had the willpower to do so, Eddie could find another human to love. But right now, though, his friend was not willing enough to even try and converse with the opposite sex, let alone try to date them. He feared that he would get rejected, or that they would just find him unappealing and not good enough.

Not good enough for anyone but Him.

Venom was fine with that, too, if Eddie was also fine with that arrangement. He imagined that most humans wouldn't want to date a monster along with their human mate, anyway.

He had never known true love (besides with chocolate, but that was a different story), and he did not see the need for it, really, but if being with another one of his kind, a human, made Eddie happy, then Venom would be there to support him all the way

They were there for each other through thick and thin, and Venom hoped that it would always be that way. He loved Eddie too much to leave him alone, to suffer alone.

Deep down, the symbiote was afraid that if he left, then Eddie would kill himself.

The thought of that becoming reality scared him, and he silently promised himself and his host that as long as he lived, he and Eddie would be inseparable. With each other until the end, forever and always.

Deciding to forgo the ice cream and got chocolate for now, Venom gently pushed Eddie back onto the bed. Before the human could say anything, he wrapped his tendrils tightly around his body in a safe and secure hold, resting his head on Eddie's chest.

Cuddling with him.

"What is this?" Eddie asked, confused for a moment.

"We are… snuggling, as you humans say. How does this feel to you?" Venom tightened his hold a little more, trying to make him comfortable. To make him feel safe.

Eddie was quiet for a minute, reaching up to pet Venom's head. The tendrils were warm and soft, and the position Venom had unintentionally put him in, laying on his back and on his side with his head resting on the pillow, was not at all uncomfortable. It was very relaxing and calming, really.

"It's… nice. It's very nice." Eddie admitted quietly, feeling a sense of peace wash over him as Venom nuzzled and licked his neck affectionately.

"It is good to be alone sometimes, Eddie, and it is also good to have someone with you. You have us." Venom said.

Eddie strokes Venom's face and smiled lightly. "Yeah, maybe you're right. It's good that I have you."

"You will always have us." Venom said as he held Eddie tighter and closer, his breath warm on the human's face. "We love our Eddie."

Wrapping an arm around his alien friend, Eddie closed his eyes and smiled.

He let himself feel loved.

A/N: I wrote this chapter to make myself feel better because I have been feeling pretty sad and hopeless for the last 2 days regarding my lack of a significant other to love, though my friend has been doing his best to comfort me during this time, which I appreciate. At least Eddie has Venom to help him feel better.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Eddie woke up to the gentle nudging of something soft and slightly cold. He groaned in protest and batted it away from his face, only to have it return a few moments later petting his face.

 **"Eddie. Wake up. Need more chocolate."**

The human opened his eyes and sleepily stared at his bedside clock. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and lay back down. "It's 7:00 in the morning, buddy. I think you'll be okay for at least another hour." He said while he closed his eyes again.

The tendril poked his side. **"Get up. Hungry! We want food!"**

Eddie sighed in annoyance and regretfully threw back the blankets and rose from his bed. "It's always want, want, want with you, isn't it? 'We want food, Eddie, we want this or that.' It gets to be a bit much sometimes, you know that?"

 **"We are not sorry for it."** Venom said defiantly. **"Besides, you're hungry, too."**

Eddie opened his mouth to say something snarky, when seemingly on cue his stomach growled. He closed his mouth and decided against it.

 **"Told you."** Venom said, sounding pleased that he had been on point. **"You are starving like us."**

"Alright, fine. You win." Eddie gave in and conceded defeat. "You'll get your stupid chocolate."

 **"Chocolate is not stupid, Eddie! It is delicious!"** Venom argued pointlessly. **"It is good for us!"**

"It might be good for you, but it certainly is not good for me, especially with the amount that you eat." Eddie said as he put on a clean set of clothes and grabbed his shoes to slip them onto his feet.

Sometime later, Eddie was lying on the ground in his backyard, gazing up at the stars because Venom had insisted that they spend time together, away from judging human eyes. The night was a peaceful one, a soft breeze blowing through the air and scattering dead leaves that had begun to fall from the branches of the surrounding trees.

 **"This is just what we needed, isn't it, Eddie?"** Venom asked in a gentle tone, one of his tendrils draped lazily across his friend's chest. **"It is very** **peaceful tonight, and this is one of the things I love about your planet."**

"You like Fall?" Eddie asked with a smile, gently petting the symbiote's tendril. He had to admit that Venom was right about it being peaceful. It was actually really nice. Therapeutic, even.

 **"Yes. I enjoy it very much."** Venom responded, a hint of joy in his voice.

"What do you like most about it?"

 **"We think you should be asking us a different question,"** Venom said as a tendril snaked up to rub against Eddie's face, sliding down his throat, to wrap itself around his chest, squeezing gently. **"More specifically, how we feel about you."**

His host shrugged in answer, giving a small smile. "Okay, how do I make you feel?"

Another tendril cupped his chin, its grasp almost tender and gentle. Venom's face appeared in front of him. **"Eddie makes us feel… good."** He stroked his friend's face lovingly, affectionately. The human nuzzled the tendril.

 **"You make us feel…"** The symbiote fell silent while he thought of a word to describe the emotion he felt. **"…Safe. Like we belong. Like we are** **home."**

Venom retreated back into Eddie's body, the tendrils with it. Eddie felt a small pang of loneliness then, he wanted Venom's body around him, he wanted to feel the symbiote's touch.

 **"Now tell us how we make you feel.** " Venom said from within his mind, moving beneath Eddie's bones.

Eddie stared up at the stars as he thought over his answer. He sighed, running a hand through his hair in consideration. Crickets chirped around them, the only light being that of a full moon, shining brightly in the night sky. "Well, I like when you cuddle with me, for starters,"

 **"You mean like this?"** Venom asked, emerging to rest his head on Eddie's chest, his tendrils holding the human tight and safe, wrapping themselves around his torso again.

Eddie blushed, and he found himself sinking into the the symbiote's gentle embrace. He sighed. "Yes, like this," he said softly. "Just like this."

Venom nuzzled his face, licking his cheek to show his affection. **"We love our Eddie,"** he whispered, his tendrils rubbing the human's stomach and face. **"We would buy him presents if we could to show how much we love him."**

Eddie relaxed further, pointing up at the sky. "Do you see any constellations?" He asked, feeling at peace now. "I only know a few, and I'm not seeing them."

 **"We see our home world,"** Venom sauid, using Eddie's arm to point to the left of their position. **"It is over there, one of the brightest stars."**

Eddie squinted, trying to make out what Venom was seeing. Finally, he spotted it and grinned. "Oh, that one, that's your home planet? It's pretty bright."

 **"The brightest."** The symbiote said proudly, hugging his friend close to him and licking his mouth. **"Do we have anymore chocolate?"**

"I don't know, buddy," Eddie responded, shaking his head. "Wanna go check?"

 **"Like you even need to ask such a stupid question,"** Venom scoffed. **"The answer to that question will always be yes."**

"Okay, let's go see if we have any more for you." They got up and headed towards the house, Venom's head lying on his shoulder.


End file.
